Curly’s Corner Shop, the blog!

Customs House exhibits

Just been down to the Customs House at the Mill Dam in South Shields, where I was chatting to the Director, Ray Spencer, about a couple of the latest gallery exhibitions there, I was particularly interested in two local works “Images for Change” and the first showing from local South Shields artist Paula Lees.

The Rekendyke ward in South Shields is dear to my heart, as local readers will know I was born and brought up in John Williamson Street where I enjoyed all the benefits of post war socialism and “the land fit for heroes”, i.e. oustide netties, a cold water tap in the yard, cobbled streets, gas lit street lamps, “knocker ups”, horse and cart deliveries, fish wives and coal men, and to cap it all rostered power cuts in the early 1970s, it coloured my views considering that South Shields had enjoyed so many years of Labour councils until then.

Having got that “dig” out of the way, let’s be historically correct and point out that the old Rekendyke and Victoria areas comprise the beating heart and life of this town, the riverside is where we owe our living, our history, and our community spirit. It spawned the shipbuilding and fishing industries, the first coal mines were sunk in Templetown, the first chemical and glass works existed side by side with the burgeoning growth of housing for those who worked there, even the industrialists lived close by in the streets near Chichester (and Westoe for the more wealthy). It is the one part of the town that has seen more change than most and it’s evolution has been almost constant since the time that the Romans established the Arbeia fort on The Lawe.

It is now about to undergo further major changes in a project that may eventually finish what was essentially started in the mid 1970s when 50% of the community was destroyed during slum clearance programmes. Those displaced then were scattered around the rest of South Shields to areas like Derby Street and Victoria Road, Mile End Road, and Harton Moor, in place of the demolished terraced housing we were given factories and a dual carriageway road; Frederick Street, the retail heart of Rekendyke was consigned to a slow death by strangulation – no houses, no customers, – it was a “no brainer” really. To make matters worse, having passed the modern estates of Simonside and then negotiated Tyne Dock, Rekendyke had become the gateway to the town centre, and it did not present a pretty picture (I’m not saying that it ever did, but an opportunity was missed to create one.)

At least during this latest process for change a lot of input is being sought and received from those who still live there, they have built quite a strong local community spirit through the efforts of the Rekendyke Partnership and their community house, with representations from St. Jude’s Church, St. Bede’s Church, the Al Akshar Mosque, the Hindu Gurdwara on Westway and a number of other voluntary groups.

So “Images for Change” is their work, they were given a number of cameras which they have used to go and record life as they see it around them. However, I’m not sure if the brief was too wide rangeing or not specific enough, it certainly has succeeded in producing a batch of photographs that show off the Rekendyke area as it is now, but it leaves the viewer with a certain amount of confusion. I was left asking myself questions;

• Is this what they wish to keep?
• Is this what they wish to lose?
• Is this what they wish to change?
• What do they want here?

However you look at it, one must accept that at least there is a record of how things looked in 2006 -07. The important thing to remember is that people are involved at a very grass roots level in the decision making process, and this regeneration is one which must be put in place correctly this time, the scene that it sets will be there for at least fifty years, and it must show the forward looking spirit of the people of the riverside with harmonious blends of residential housing, working areas, and public leisure space, it must become an area of South Tyneside that we can be justly proud of. It is over sixty years since the last war ended, and we have still failed to turn this part of South Shields around, so let’s employ the most modern and imaginative thinking that we can to make it a lasting success this time.

Paula Lees came to my attention after a few posts on my message board, it turns out that I used to work with her partner Mark (the son of another Progressive councillor), her first showing at the Customs House is worthy of your attention, a series of portraits of worldly faces. Colourful, vibrant, and excuding exitement and emotion by using a variety of media on paper (fabrics, pen and ink, and paint too). These are portraits of indigeonous folks from around the world, Africa, Asia, South and Central America too, the bonus is (if you think these works would sit nicely in your home) that they can be purchased via an interest free loan scheme, details are available next to the exhibits. My only slight criticism for Paula is that they lack context, and by that I mean that the backgrounds are blank empty spaces, perhaps they would really come to life if she starts to include some portions of their life in the background.

These exhibitions are not there for a great deal of time, so get yourselves down as soon as possible, you might get a running commentary from Ray Spencer too, if you are lucky!

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